People take photos of blooming cherry blossoms in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

(L-R) Singers Kelly Rowland, Beyonce and Michelle Williams perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Autos sit on top of each other in a washed out section of Dog Track Road in the Millview community as Gulf Coast residents continue cleaning up from damage caused by torrential rains in Pensacola, Fla., Thursday, May 1, 2014. The National Weather Service, estimated 15-20 inches of rain has fallen in the Pensacola area in the past 2 days. (Photo by G. M. Andrews/AP Photo)

Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces. Luckily for us, he continued the tradition for Vanity Fair. Here are some of the best.

A plastinated body presented as a pole vaulter is exhibited at the Menschen Museum, Museum of Humans, in Berlin, August 29, 2016. The museum was caught up in a legal dispute with the district office of Berlin-Mitte for years before it was able to meet the requirements made by the court. (Photo by Sophia Kembowski/DPA Photo via Newscom)

Barcelona's Fridolina Rolfo celebrates after scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League, semi final second leg, soccer match between FC Chelsea and FC Barcelona in London, England, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Photo by Zac Goodwin/PA Wire via AP Photo)

England's Rachel Daly celebrates scoring their side's sixth goal of the game with team-mates during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, Group D match at the Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, Australia. Picture date: Tuesday August 1, 2023. (Photo by Hannah Mckay/Reuters)

New York Police officers arrest a drag queen during a weekly “We Choose Freedom” march through the West Village, Thursday, November 5, 2020, in New York. (Photo by Seth Wenig/AP Photo)